


He's Sweet Enough

by capnstark



Category: Cake Boss - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 18:45:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1789303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capnstark/pseuds/capnstark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis starts work at Carlo's Bakery and meets Harry. Zayn and Liam are oblivious and Niall's always around for advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's Sweet Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Becoming emotionally invested with Cake Boss is the worst thing to ever happen to me. You know you're life's hit rock bottom when you're writing Cake Boss fanfiction, even as a gift for someone else.

Louis' been working at Carlo's bakery for all of two days when Harry Styles first shows up and ruins his life.

"Take this upstairs to Mauro, would you?" Joey says, handing Louis a round, twelve inch vanilla sponge balanced precariously on a cake tray. "And don't drop it."

Louis rolls his eyes and tries to keep his knees from giving way under the weight of the cake. "Why would I drop it, eh, Joe? I'm brilliant, me."

Joey growls and picks up his spatula. Louis thinks it best to get the fuck out of there before Joey gets _really_ angry.

Louis' still not entirely sure how he ended up stuck down in the oven room working with Joey and all the other bakers. He'd only applied for the stupid job in the first place because he still had three months before his classes at college started and his flatmate and best friend Zayn, who worked at the bakery as a sculptor, had said that it was a great place to work and he'd put in a good word for Louis with the owner, Buddy. Zayn had failed to mention, however, that most of the fun to be had was up in the decorating room, but Buddy had though Louis far too hot-headed and energetic to be any good at decorating and had sent him down to Joey in the oven room to learn how to bake. Louis tends to spend most of his time messing cakes up and having Joey yell at him, though, because baking isn't exactly his forte. He really wishes that someone would actually realise that sometime soon.

He makes it up the stairs unscathed, the cake still in one piece, and he turns to push the door to the decorating room open with his back.

Only someone decides to walk _out_ of the door at the exact same moment, and Louis bangs right into their chest, the cake crashing from his hands and onto the floor.

"Shit," Louis mutters, looking dejectedly down at the ruined cake. It's a mess of crumbs all over the tiled floor and completely unsalvageable. Joey's going to kill him.

"Oops?" The stranger says sheepishly and Louis looks up into the sparkling green eyes of the most beautiful person he swears he's ever seen in his entire life and his mouth promptly drops open because, _bloody hell_. This strange... boy, for he can't possibly be much older than eighteen, is at least a head taller than Louis, long, skinny legs that seem to go on forever only emphasised by the tight black jeans he's wearing. His blue plaid shirt is buttoned as far as his chest, exposing the inky wings of a tattoo, and dark brown curls are pulled back from his face with a headscarf. He looks ridiculous, and Louis' already so gone for him.

"Hi!" Louis all but squeaks, then realises how stupid he sounds. Curly's smirking at him, obviously amused by Louis' inability to talk in front of impossibly gorgeous men. "I-I mean, no, don't worry about it, my fault."

"Nah, it was mine, mate, you wouldn't believe how clumsy I can be," Curly says and then he sticks out his hand. "I'm Harry."

Louis at least get's it together enough to reach out and shake Harry's hand. "Louis. I'm kind of new here."

"Oh, you're Zayn's friend," Harry says, bending down to try and scoop the cake back onto the tray. Louis' not entirely sure how his jeans don't rip. "I've heard all about you from him."

"Not all good, I hope."

Harry grins and stands up, wiping cake crumbs off his hands and onto his thighs. Louis absolutely does not stare at said cake crumbs. "I think this cake is kind of done for," Harry admits, surveying the mess with his hands on his hips. "Sorry."

Louis waves his hands about dismissively and grins mischievously back at Harry. "Ah, it doesn't matter. It's just a cake, innit?"  
(Joey is definitely going to kill him)

*****

  
"So about this Harry..."

A smirk spreads across Zayn's face but he doesn't stop poking at the chocolate figure stood on the table in front of him. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Louis frowns, swinging his legs back and forth where he's sat on the table behind Zayn. It's after hours in the bakery, and nearly everyone's gone home but Zayn needs a ride from Louis and he still had work to do so Louis is, begrudgingly, having to wait while he finishes up. He at least has a plate of left over cake bits that he stole from Danny to pick at.

"That you'd get all... moony over him."

Louis scoffs, outraged. "I do not _moon_ , I am simply asking for information on one of our co-workers."

"One who wears incredibly tight jeans and is exactly your type."

"Yes."

Zayn laughs and leans back in his chair, twirling the toothpick from his mouth between his fingers as he surveys his work. "Alright, so what do you want to know, then?"

Louis considers all the possible questions he could have about Harry. "How willing do you think he would be to shag me?"

"Oh, for God's sake, Lou," Zayn groans, tipping his chair back onto four legs and going back to doing whatever he was doing to his model. Louis maybe doesn't understand sculpting that much. "I'm so done talking to you, just... eat your cake and keep quiet."

Louis pouts but counts it as a win that he at least managed to annoy Zayn. That's all he lives for, really.

*****

Louis' sat downstairs sharing a pizza with Niall on their break when Harry comes strolling in through the back door, a cake box balanced on his shoulder.

"How'd it go with Joey the other day?" Harry says to Louis, setting the box down on the long wooden table and dropping into the seat beside Niall. He picks up a slice of pizza, folds it in half and takes a huge bite. Louis' absolutely not staring at how easily it fits into his mouth.

"Usual, you know, there was yelling, attempted killing, that weird, angry look he gets on his face," Louis says and Harry snorts.

"You should come work upstairs with us," he suggests.

Niall laughs, so hard he chokes a little on his pizza."You're kidding, right? Louis couldn't decorate a cake to save his life!"

Louis would be affronted, but Niall's kind of right. Not that he would ever admit that. "Just because you're so amazing at everything doesn't mean everyone else can be. It's just a bloody job."

"None of you will have a job left if you sit here eating pizza all day," Frankie says and Louis jumps, not having seen him come into the room. "Niall, Grace is looking for you, says it's busy out front."

"Duty calls," Niall sighs, standing up and shoving an entire slice of pizza in his mouth before disappearing off into the front of the store.

"What's in the box?" Louis asks Harry once they're alone.

"Sugar flowers," Harry says, tugging the box closer and opening the lid. The box is filled with little, brightly coloured flowers of all different shapes and styles. Louis can only really make out roses and tulips and carnations but they're pretty all the same. "They're kind of my speciality, it's what I'm good at."

Louis dips his hand into the box and takes out a delicate yellow flower, thin petals and orange centre with a long, green stem. "They're lovely," he says with a smile, then, without even really thinking about it, he reaches out and pushes the stem of the flower into Harry's hair, just above his ear. "Proper lovely."

Harry grins dopily at him, yellow flower bright in his curls and Louis thinks that, yeah, he's definitely, totally gone for this boy.

*****

"LOUIS!"

Louis grimaces as he hears Joey yelling at him all the way from outside and he darts out of the oven room and takes the stairs two at a time, barrelling into Mauro as he races into the decorating room.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologises hastily but he doesn't stop until he's ducked down behind Zayn's chair.

"What have you done now?" Zayn sighs.

Louis squeaks indignantly. "Why should I have done anything?"

"He knocked the temperature up on the oven and burnt a hundred cannoli shells," Niall says appearing in the doorway with half a cupcake in one hand and a bowl of butter cream in the other. He offloads the bowl to Danny who's shaking his head disapprovingly at Louis as he walks past. Louis' still a bit pissed that nobody's realised he can't bake yet.

"Not the greatest baker, huh?"

Louis spins his head around so quickly he almost gets whiplash, but he hadn't realised that Harry is sitting at the table behind Zayn's.

"Uh, no, not really."

"So how come you work downstairs, then?"

Louis' just about to answer when the door to the decorating room opens and Zayn gasps so loud and jerks back so hard that Louis nearly falls over.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

"It's Liam," Zayn hisses, ducking his head down and frantically scraping at the chocolate model car in front of him. Louis thinks he's probably going to ruin it if he doesn't stop.

"Who's Liam?" Louis asks Harry. Harry turns in his chair to grin down at Louis like this is the greatest thing to ever happen to him.

"You haven't told him about Liam?" He says to Zayn and Zayn shakes his head violently, refusing to look up. "Liam's a delivery boy here, he works with Anthony."

"But why-" Louis starts and then Liam comes around the corner and it all becomes very clear. He's basically everything Zayn would ever look for in a man; tall, built and muscular beneath his tight black Carlo's shirt and short dark hair peeking out from under a snapback with a bit of scruff on his chin. Louis knows his best friend well enough to know that Zayn is one hundred per cent in love with Liam, but knows too that there is no way Zayn will ever admit that.

"Hey Niall," Liam says, holding out his hand for Niall to fist bump. He smiles at Harry then says, "Hi, Zayn."

"Hey," Zayn mumbles, keeping his eyes on the table.

"How's it going? You busy?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, cool, well, I just came up to collect a cake so I'll catch you later?"

"Uh-huh."

Liam says goodbye to them all then goes to collect the cake from Frankie. Zayn literally doesn't move until the door's closed behind Liam and then it's only to whimper and bury his face into the table.

"What. The hell. Was that?" Louis says slowly. He's a little afraid of spooking Zayn, if he's honest.

"Zayn gets a bit... nervous, around Liam," Harry explains, rubbing at Zayn's shoulder sympathetically.

"Why did you never tell me about him?"

"Because he loves him," Niall sing-songs with a grin as Harry and Louis both fall about laughing and Zayn's face turns a bright shade of red before he snaps,

"Shut up, Niall!"

*****

It becomes a routine; Louis finishes his shift and takes a plate of cupcake bits upstairs to share with Harry while he waits for Zayn to finish. It soon becomes the best part of his day, getting to hang out with the decorators, but mostly he enjoys getting to sit and chat with Harry. Louis learns that Harry was never interested in going to college and had left school and gone straight to working at the bakery, that he still lives with his mom and sister but wants to move out as soon as he can, and especially about how stupidly hipster he is, with his artsy music and ridiculous headscarves and hats, but mostly Louis learns that Harry is just about the loveliest boy he's ever met. He's charming and funny and takes ages to tell a story, and of course it helps that he's pretty easy on the eyes, with his unruly curly hair and long, lean torso and legs. It scares Louis a bit, though, when Harry starts giving him hugs for no real reason or will let their thighs press together when they sit at Harry's decorating table and Louis gets that familiar swooping feeling in his tummy. He tries his best to ignore it, and concentrates on making sure that Harry thinks he's the best person in the world to be friends with.

"So tell me," Louis says, kicking his feet up onto Harry's lap. Harry tuts but doesn't make him move. "How exactly did such a pretty boy like you end up working in a bakery?"

Louis doesn't miss the flush that appears on Harry's cheeks. "Why can't I work in a bakery if I'm pretty?"

"You should be a model or a rock star or at least working at Hollister or something," Louis teases and Harry snorts, pressing green fondant circles onto the cake in front of him.

It's quiet in the decorating room; Zayn's downstairs with Mauro and Frankie working on a big order, Juan has his headphones in like he always does while he works and Ralph's in a world of his own sculpting a model of a vampire out of chocolate. Louis likes it best like this though, the calm and the quiet soothing after the hectic atmosphere of the oven room and downstairs. "Seriously, though, this is the job you wanted?"

"I used to work in a bakery when I was younger," Harry says softly, concentrating on cutting out little fondant stars for the cake. "Just a Saturday job but I loved it, getting to be creative baking and decorating the cakes. I always figured that if it makes you happy then... why not?"

' _Why not_?' Louis pokes at Harry's thigh with his toes and smiles when Harry peeks up at him from under his curls and smiles right back. He's wearing a little sugar flower in his hair again, a purple one this time, and Louis thinks that Harry Styles might be exactly what makes him happy.

*****

_-Karaoke at McSwiggan's tonite, you in?-_

"It's not a date."

Louis' been telling himself that for the last eight hours since Harry text him inviting him out, and the best part of the last two hours telling Zayn while they get ready.

"Of course it isn't," Zayn says from where he's sprawled out on Louis' bed, head buried in a dog-eared copy of _Wuthering Heights_. Louis' still stood in front of his wardrobe, half of his clothes strewn across his room as he tries to decide on something to wear. He wants to look good, but also like he's not making too much of an effort because _it's not a date._

"Like, everyone's going to be there, so it won't just be the two of us." Louis picks up a pair of dark blue skinny jeans off the floor and starts pulling them on, hopping on one leg. "It's just a work thing, right? Drinks, couple of songs, that sort of thing."

Zayn sighs, puts his book down and fixes Louis with a look that suggests that Louis is really annoying him. "Lou, babe, you are seriously over thinking this, okay?"

Louis pauses with only one leg into his jeans. "I am?"

"Yes, idiot," Zayn says fondly. "We're all going out for karaoke, it's not a fucking date, believe me."

"S'pose you're right."

"Well, yeah." Zayn rolls off the bed to pluck a grey knitted jumper from on top of the dresser where it had landed when Louis flung it aside. "Wear this with those jeans and your black Converse, you'll look sexy, promise. I'll bet the first drink on it."

Louis ends up having to buy Zayn a pint, but the way Harry freezes the second Louis walks into the bar, glass halfway to his mouth and eyes blown wide, is so worth it. But it's not just Harry, though; Anthony, Mauro and Danny wolf-whistle as Louis comes over from the bar and the girls drag him down into their side of the booth to start cooing over his glasses that he'd put on instead of his contacts and how he's styled his hair. Even Joey tells him that he looks good. Louis just grins, watching the way Harry can't seem to drag his eyes away, and feels oddly triumphant.

It's not until a while later, when Ralph's gotten up to sing Science Fiction/Double Feature and everyone else is crowded around the little stage to cheer him on, arms waving, that Louis and Harry are finally alone in their booth, and Louis has to remind himself that this is not a date.

"You, er, you look really nice," Harry mumbles, his cheeks flushed red from the bright blue drinks he's been sipping on all night. Louis thinks it's the best he's ever seen him look.

"Course I do, all you ever see me in is my Carlo's shirt and trackies," Louis says with a wink and Harry barks out a laugh.

"That's true, I guess." He takes a long slurp of his drink, swirling the straw around the glass. "Hey, are you going to get up and do a song?"

Louis shakes his head quickly, turning to make sure that Zayn is still over by the bar and won't rat him out. "Nah, mate, I can't sing to save my life. I'm about as good a singer as I am a baker."

"Christ, don't you dare get up there, then," Joey says with a grin as he slips back into the booth with a pint in his hand.

"You're hilarious," Louis deadpans which only makes Joey smile wider.

"What about you, Haz, you going to sing?" Niall asks, budging up so close to Louis to let Zayn sit down that he might as well have just sat on his lap.  
Harry's just opened his mouth to answer when Zayn suddenly chokes on his drink, slamming the glass down on the table as he coughs and splutters.

"What the hell, Zayn?" Louis says, patting Zayn on the back, but Zayn can't seem to do much more than gesture frantically in the direction of the door and then Niall's suddenly gone all fidgety next to Louis.

"Oh, shit, I forgot," Niall mutters with a grimace and Louis' about to hit something if he doesn't find out what's going on in the next ten seconds but then he looks up and everything falls into place.

Liam's stood in the entrance of the bar, awkwardly looking around like he's not sure he's in the right place then he spots everyone and waves and starts heading over to them.

" _You invited Liam_?" Zayn hisses, glaring at Niall.

"Well, he overheard me and Maurizio talking and I couldn't not invite him could I?"

"Yes you could, you don't ever invite him, Niall, Jesus!" Zayn pushes at Niall so he can start clambering out of the booth but Liam's almost at the table and everyone seems to be holding their breath all of a sudden.

"Hi guys!" Liam says and Zayn freezes halfway across Louis' lap. "Sorry I'm late, I had to help Buddy on a delivery." His brow creases into a frown when he spots Zayn trying to desperately get out. "You're not leaving, Zayn, are you?"

"Er, yeah, actually, I have this thing that I, er, got to do, real important... thing, Louis, _move_."

Louis just rolls his eyes at how ridiculous Zayn's acting and slides out of the booth and down next to Harry on the other side.

"Oh," Liam says, disappointed. "Was kind of hoping we could have a drink, maybe, I hardly get a chance to chat to you at work."

"This is going to end badly," Louis mutters, leaning in close to Harry and Harry nudges him in the side with a sharp elbow.

"Just one drink?" Liam looks at Zayn with what can only be described as a pout and huge, puppy-dog eyes and Louis really hopes he's not this stupidly obvious around Harry.Really fucking hopes he's not because Liam and Zayn are just the absolute definition of 'obliviously in love' and it's rather sickening. Louis would quite like to clunk their heads together to maybe knock some sense into them. "Please?"

 

Zayn seems to physically deflate and drops back down into his seat next to Niall. "Alright, one drink," he says and Liam's whole face lights up with a wide, bright smile.

"Great, you want a pint, yeah, I'll go and get you one, just... stay here, ok?" Liam babbles excitedly then jogs off in the direction of the bar.

"See? That went well!" Niall says happily, poking at Zayn's stomach but Zayn turns and fixes him with a look of utter fury and Niall shrinks back into his seat, hands raised in defence.

"Want to escape?" Harry whispers into Louis' ear and Louis feels a tiny little shiver run through him at the sensation of Harry's warm breath on his skin but he pulls himself together and grabs for Harry's hand.

"Yeah, come on then."

Louis drags Harry across the room, past Grace and Madeline and Mary dancing like idiots in front of the stage and past Danny arguing with Ralph about the current baseball score until they're in a more secluded area of the bar. Louis signals to the barman for two more drinks and sinks down onto a stool, pulling the list of karaoke songs towards him.

"Right, you going to sing me a song then?" he asks, grinning up at Harry as the barman sets their drinks down in front of them.

"What?"

"Come on, sing us a song, please?" Louis pleads, dragging out the last word like a child. He just really wants to see if he can get Harry to cave.

It doesn't take long. "Fine," Harry sighs, reaching out for the book of songs but Louis lifts it up out of his reach.

"No way, Curly, I'm picking the song," he says and Harry groans, burying his head in his hands as Louis smugly flicks through the book.

Ten minutes later and Harry's trudging his way onto the stage as the whole of the bakery gathers in front, cat-calling and cheering. He's smiling a little sheepishly but he doesn't look that nervous and Louis wonders if he's even going to win at this game.

"Right, hi, everybody," Harry says into the microphone and Joey, Mauro and Danny whistle loudly. "I don't exactly know what I'm singing so, er, be kind?"

Louis can't wait for this, and doesn't take his eyes off Harry as the barman presses play and the opening chords of the song kick in. Harry's whole face falls as everyone whoops and screams but he just shakes his head at Louis with a rueful smile on his face as he lifts the mic to his mouth and strikes a pose, one hand on his hip.

"Let's go girls."

The girls at the front all scream and Niall leans over to Louis. "Shania Twain, Lou, seriously?"

"What, it's a great song," Louis says innocently with a little shrug. Harry's getting into it, though, strutting around the stage like he owns it as he sings every single word of _Man, I Feel Like A Woman_ without having to look at the screen once. Louis is maybe starting to regret his song choice because he had sort of expected Harry to look like a bit of an idiot singing this song but actually he looks so... sexy. He's flicking his stupidly long hair around as he strides across the stage with a ridiculous amount of confidence, a huge grin on his face as he belts out the chorus with this gorgeous, raspy voice that Louis would never have guessed Harry had been hiding.

 

"He's good," Liam says from Louis' other side as he claps along. Zayn's staring at him like Liam's the greatest thing he's ever laid eyes on but Louis can only nods because, shit, Harry Styles is not just good, he's amazing, everything about him is fucking amazing and Louis thinks he might just be a little bit in love.

And then the song reaches the instrumental and Louis nearly loses it when Harry starts growling into the microphone, thrusting his hips and shrugging his plaid shirt off one shoulder to reveal a tantalising glimpse of black inky tattoos all along his arms beneath his tank top. Louis is fairly sure that he's drooling all down his chin, and is just about to excuse himself from the room before he makes a fool of himself when he realises that Harry's leaning down from the stage and holding his hand out to Louis.

"C'mon, Lou," he's laughing into the mic and Louis has to wonder what kind of weird hold this boy has over him that makes him grab Harry's hand so he can haul Louis up onto the stage.

Louis has a quick view of everyone cheering and clapping, and Anthony inexplicably fist pumping, and then Harry's spinning him in a circle and he can't help but laugh, suddenly feeling so happy and utterly carefree up here with Harry. He lets Harry twirl him around and around until he's dizzy and then suddenly Harry pulls Louis into his body, his chest broad and warm against Louis' back and Louis swears his heart is beating so fast it's going to explode as Harry lifts the mic up to Louis' mouth.

"Sing it, Lou," Harry tells him, swaying them both from side to side. Louis hesitates for a split second so he's slightly off beat as he sings " _the best thing about being a woman, is_ _the prerogative to have a little fun_ ", and when he looks up the entire bakery is staring at him open-mouthed. It's possible that he hadn't mentioned to anyone that, while baking definitely is not his thing, singing might just be something he's not too bad at.

Luckily Harry doesn't seem fazed and launches into the final chorus of the song, bouncing across the stage and now everyone seems to be dancing along too as they cheer Harry on and Louis' so caught up in the infectious excitement that he finds himself singing along at the top of his lungs, a dopy grin on his face as he can't seem to tear his eyes away from Harry.

Finally the song comes to an end and the crowd erupts into raucous cheers and Louis grins sheepishly as Harry squeezes his shoulders and forces Louis to bow along with him.

"Thought you said you couldn't sing," Harry murmurs into Louis' ear, just loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

"Yeah, well," Louis shrugs. "A man's got to have some secrets, you know."

Harry barks out a laugh and drags Louis into a tight hug, smudging his nose against Louis' collarbone. It feels intimate, all of a sudden, like the climax of all of their not so subtle flirting throughout the night and Louis can't help but think that maybe this was kind of a date after all.

*****

Louis' downstairs alone in the bakery late one Thursday afternoon when his phone starts ringing. Joey's not there, out on a delivery with Buddy and the others, but Louis is still a little bit afraid that Joey will somehow find out he's been answering his mobile during work hours. He's still surprised that Joey trusts him enough to be left alone as it is. He lets the phone ring out but it's not even ten seconds before it starts up again.

"For fucks sake," Louis mutters, abandoning the bowl of cookie dough he was mixing and crossing the oven room to fetch his phone.

The caller ID is flashing ' _LIAM_ ' and Louis' sure Liam has never once called him since they'd swapped numbers at the bar although they've texted now and then about the footie or random stuff. Louis frowns and presses answer, but before he can even say a word, Liam's frantically babbling nonsense in his ear.

"Liam, mate, I can't understand a word you're saying, you've done what?"

"Just let me speak to Zayn, I _need_ Zayn."

Louis' fairly sure that this isn't going to be the grand romantic confession they've all been expecting since Liam and Zayn have started spending time together outside of work but he tells Liam to hang on while he jogs upstairs to find Zayn.

"It's Liam," he tells Zayn, holding out his phone for Zayn to take. Zayn looks utterly confused but takes the phone anyway, getting up to move to the other side of the room, even though there's only himself, Niall and Harry there. Louis sinks down onto a stool with a sigh and watches as Zayn's face screws up with a frown as he listens to Liam.

"What's going on?" Harry asks, plastering himself against Louis' back and slipping his arms around Louis' middle. Harry's been like this for weeks now, getting really touchy feely with Louis; they've been spending more time together, as friends, at the bar or at Louis and Zayn's place, sometimes even just the two of them alone, and Louis' discovered that Harry's ridiculously tactile, curling up against Louis for a cuddle on the couch while they watch a movie, or tangling they're ankles together when they're sat at a table or the tips of his fingers brushing Louis' arm when they're stood side by side. Louis' sure that one of these days he's just going to snap and end up kissing Harry senseless, or at least forget how to breathe altogether.

"Dunno," he says with a little shrug, making Harry's chin jerk where it's resting on Louis' shoulder. "Liam just wanted to speak to Zayn."

"Maybe he's finally had enough of dicking around and he's going to tell Zayn he wants to bang him," Niall suggests from the other side of the table where he's sat with a plate of half decorated cupcakes in front of him, a piping bag in one hand and a meatball sub in the other. He has a smear of pink icing on his cheek, but Louis' not going to tell him that.

"I'm pretty sure that's not it," Louis says. Zayn's heading back over to them, running a hand through his hair and he looks worried.

"Li, it's fine, there's no one here, they're all out on delivery, just bring the cake up and I'll sort it." Zayn suddenly cuts the phone call and hands the phone back to Louis. "Liam took a cake out and it fell apart, he needs it fixing."

" _That's_ what he was so worked up about?"

"Louis, he's terrified that Buddy's gonna kill him, you know what Buddy's like everytime Anthony or Maurizio fucks up on a delivery," Zayn says and Louis has to admit that he does have a point, he's seen Buddy go absolutely mental when cakes have been ruined.

Harry and Niall help Zayn to collect fondant and tools together while they wait for Liam, although Louis' a bit pissed that Harry has to move away from him to do it. Its barely ten minutes though before the door to the bakery opens with a crash and Liam comes stumbling into the room under the weight of a four tier birthday cake that's sunken in on one side, the icing and decorations completely ruined.

"I'm going to be in so much trouble," Liam groans, dumping the cake down on the table and stepping back to survey the mess with a look of complete horror on his face.

"Liam, I'm going to fix it," Zayn says like a promise, one hand on Liam's shoulder. "Go sit down with Lou, we won't be long."

Liam looks like he wants to argue but he lets Louis lead him to the other side of the bakery anyway. Louis fetches him a glass of water and sits down with him while the others get to work.

It kind of surprises Louis how efficient the three of them are when it comes to working together; he's only ever really seen them messing about and having a laugh in each other's company but now they're moving effortlessly around the bakery, Niall rolling out sheets of fondant while Zayn rebuilds the cake and Harry concentrates on making new sugar flowers to decorate it with. Louis feels a bit useless but he concentrates on comforting Liam, even if Louis thinks he might be overreacting just a tiny little bit to the whole situation.

"There, done," Zayn announces what feels to Louis like hours later but is probably only twenty minutes. He's standing over the cake as Harry presses the last sugar flower into the bottom tier and Louis has to admit that it looks good, you can hardly tell that anything had even happened to it.

"Thank you so much, Zayn," Liam says, awestruck like he hadn't entirely believed that Zayn could do it. Zayn just sort of shrugs, a faint blush on his cheeks as he tries to act all nonchalant about it, but Liam's not even looking at the cake now, is staring at Zayn with wide eyes.

"I don't get it," Harry hisses from Louis' side. "Why's Liam looking at Zayn all-" but he doesn't get to finish because Liam's surging forward all of a sudden and he fists a hand in Zayn's shirt to drag him into a searing kiss. Zayn sort of yelps and flails a bit before he gives up the fight and sinks into Liam, gripping Liam by the hips so he can kiss him back just as hard.

"Bloody hell," Niall mutters through a mouthful of sandwich. Louis doesn't know whether to cheer or slap both of them round the head for taking so long to finally get here, but he can't stop grinning because he's just so fucking happy for Zayn.

Liam eventually pulls back from Zayn, breathing heavily, but he doesn't seem to be able to move far, nuzzles his nose against Zayn's cheek.

"Liam, I have to- have to- steam, the cake, it's not finished," Zayn says breathlessly but Liam shakes his head, cups a hand around Zayn's jaw and presses his lips softly against Zayn's again.

"Finished it for you," Harry says, setting the steamer back on its stand and Louis hadn't even realised Harry had been steaming the cake the past two minutes."You might want to hurry up though, Liam, Buddy should be back soon."

That brings Liam back to his senses and he pecks Zayn's lips once more, whispers, "I'll call you later, yeah?" and Zayn's still nodding dumbly as Liam walks out of the door with the fixed cake balancing on his shoulder.

"Zayn-"

"Not a word, Lou," Zayn warns before Louis can even say anything and he storms out of the room, the door banging shut behind him.

"Well," Niall says, " that was dramatic."

"Aww, it was really sweet," Harry argues, smiling dopily as he fixes a left over blue sugar flower into his hair. "Can't beat a bit of office romance, right?"

He winks at Louis, actually _winks_ at him and for probably the first time in his life, Louis is insanely jealous of Zayn. He wants a big, romantic confession of love from Harry, but mostly because he have the balls to tell Harry himself.

*****

Louis' happy for Zayn and Liam, he really is, but he wishes his room wasn't quite so close to Zayn's. He finds himself wide awake at five o'clock one morning, even though Zayn and Liam have long been asleep, and decides he might as well head into the bakery and help Joey get started.

He gets there just after six, and finds the back door already unlocked. He drops his bag and coat into his little cubby hole locker and wanders into the oven room, tying on his apron and then-

"Oh."

Harry's sat indian-style on top of the big wooden table in the middle of the room, a tray of cupcakes in front of him. He looks up and breaks out into a huge, dimpled grin when he sees it's Louis and Louis has to keep his legs from giving out because Harry just looks gorgeous, long legs in skinny black jeans, curls a mess around his face even with the khaki headband pulling them back.

"Hey Lou," Harry says entirely too cheerfully for this time of the morning. "You're here early."

"Lets just say that Zayn and Li have definitely been making up for lost time this past week."

Harry barks out a laugh then holds a cupcake out to Louis. "You want one? Fresh from the oven."

Louis drags a chair over and takes the cake from Harry. "You made these?"

Harry nods, tongue poking out of of the corner of his mouth in concentration as he pipes a red rose onto the top of another cake. "Joey called me last night and said he had to work late at the fire station so could I come in and bake for him today."

Louis hums in satisfaction as he takes a bite of cupcake and it's still warm and moist in his mouth, the green buttercream icing just the right amount of sweetness. "I didn't know you could bake too."

"A man's got to have some secrets, right?" Harry teases and Louis sticks his tongue out at him playfully. Harry laughs softly. "I love baking but Buddy thought I was better at decorating and took me upstairs to work with him."

"These are really good, though," Louis says through a mouthful of cake. "You should bake more often."

Harry smiles down at the cupcake he's icing, purposefully not looking at Louis. "Maybe if I had someone as complimentary as you to bake for then I would."

Louis wishes Harry would look at him, because then he could tell if he really meant that, if Harry really likes Louis because Louis' a little afraid that he's in just a little bit too deep.

*****

Zayn starts going out with Liam after work, and while Louis is still definitely very happy that his best friend is very happy, he's also a little pissed off that his routine has been messed with. Getting to sit upstairs with the decorators after his shift had been the best part of Louis' day and he really doesn't want to miss out on that. So even though he doesn't have to hang around waiting for Zayn anymore he still goes upstairs with his stolen plate of cake bits, sometimes dragging Niall with him, to annoy everyone as much as possible. He finds Ralph and Juan utterly fascinating to talk to, though, and loves getting to watch as Buddy argues with Anthony, or when Frankie starts yelling when he gets the blame for something that's not even his fault.

The only problem is that Louis is completely frustrated, because he still can't tell if Harry really likes him, or if being that flirty and charming is just part of Harry's nature. It's starting to drive Louis mad, and it's all he can do to sit there with Harry, laughing and joking around, and not just snap and ask him outright if Harry could possibly, in some insane universe, actually fancy him.

"I've only got two weeks left here," Louis points out one evening. He and Harry are completley alone in the decorating room; it's late, and everybody else has already gone home, but Harry had said he has to finish the flowers for a wedding cake that's to be delivered the next day, so Louis had agreed to keep him company until he's done. It's not exactly a chore, anyway, since he has a warm mug of tea clutched in his hands and his plate of cake bits today are from a chocolate fudge sponge and besides, he would never turn down the chance to spend more time with Harry.

"That's gone quick," Harry replies, a slight frown on his face. Louis' unsure if it's from thinking about Louis leaving the bakery or if he's just concentrating really hard. Louis hopes it's the former.

"Yeah," Louis sighs, taking a sip of tea. He tries not to imagine what his life's going to be like now, having to go to school all day and not see Harry in the afternoons. He supposes they will probably still hang out after work, but it won't be the same, and it will only ever be as friends. Louis is scared that ' _just friends_ ' will never be enough for him, and seeing Harry will stop being fun and start actually being torturous.

"You excited to start school?"

"Kind of. Nervous, a bit, I guess. New people and all."

Harry scoffs, swiping a brush over the petals of a white flower so it shimmers with pearlescent dust. It's probably Louis' favourite flower that Harry makes, reminds him a little of how Harry's so pale yet seems to shine so bright. "You'll do great, Lou, what's not to love about you?"

And it's things like that, Harry saying such lovely things, that make Louis want to just lean across the table and _ruin_ him. But Louis' a coward, so all he does is grip his mug a but tighter and twist his ankles around his chair legs so he doesn't do anything stupid.

"You're still going to come back here and stuff, though?"

"Why, you going to miss me, Styles?" Louis says, can't stop himself from smiling.

Harry grins right back, clutches at his heart with the hand not holding the flower. "Horribly. How ever will I go on without you?"

Louis snorts and reaches out across the table to pick up a pink sugar flower so he can hold it by the stem and twirl it in his fingers, the different shades of colour blurring together as it spins. He's not worried about breaking it; the table is covered in flowers of all designs and sizes and colours, and Louis' gained a certain appreciation for cakes in his time at Carlo's, is actually interested now in seeing them come together and admiring the finished product because he knows exactly what goes into making them look so beautiful. "Where's this cake, then?" he asks Harry.

"Oh," Harry says nonchalantly, waving a hand around dismissively even as he careful etches lines onto the petals. "They finished the cake earlier, it's in the fridge downstairs."

Louis' stunned. "Then why, exactly, are we still sitting here making, like, a _billion_ stupid flowers when they've already finished the cake?"

"I'm the one making the flowers, Lou, not you."

" _Harry_ -"

"It's the best part of my day, isn't it?" It comes out in a rush, the fastest Louis has ever heard Harry say anything. "Sitting here, talking to you. It's the whole reason I stick around most days, to be honest."

Louis can't take it any longer. He pushes up onto his toes so he can stretch as far over the table as possible and he hooks two fingers beneath Harry's chin and drags him forward into a kiss. Harry squeaks, taken a bit by surprise, and Louis thinks that maybe he's made a huge, huge mistake. But then Harry's kissing him back, firm and sure and he's standing too so he can hold onto Louis' shoulders to keep them steady and Louis can't get close enough, wants to clamber onto the table and keep kissing Harry for the rest of his life.

"Been wanting to do that for weeks," Harry whispers, a little breathlessly. He presses his forehead to Louis', slides their noses together in a frankly ridiculous Eskimo kiss and Louis whimpers because, _fuck_ , he's been waiting weeks for this too.

"Then why the fuck didn't you?" he half-laughs, and Harry giggles, actually giggles and dips his head down to kiss Louis' lips again, a little softer this time, like he can't keep away now he knows that it's ok to do it.

"Scared you didn't like me," Harry mumbles into Louis' mouth.

"Daft idiot," Louis sighs, but he's happy, so freaking happy, and he can't stop kissing Harry, little pecks to his lips and his cheeks and his jaw and Harry positively preens under the affection, smiling big and wide and Louis finds himself mirroring it, can't help it.

"You want to get out of here?" Harry asks, voice low and suggestive and it takes every ounce of self-control Louis has not to jump Harry there and then.

"Uh-huh," he mumbles, still gently sucking a bruise into the skin below Harry's ear. "You sure you don't have any other cakes to finish, though?"

Harry pinches the back of Louis' neck, making him yelp and flinch away from Harry and it's so stupid, but he misses Harry already, the feel of him under his fingertips and his mouth and he's only known what that's like for five minutes, but he never wants to go a day without Harry again. Harry's looking at him fondly, as though he's feeling exactly the same way and Louis' heart stutters in his chest because Harry's never looked more beautiful, lips red and swollen and his hair tangled and messy where Louis' had his fingers in it.

Most of the flowers on the table have gotten squashed, but Louis plucks a white shimmering daisy from the pile that's still in one piece and he tucks it into Harry's hair behind his ear, trails his fingertips along Harry's jaw.

"Beautiful," he murmurs, leaning in for a kiss and revels in the way Harry's cheeks flush even as he kisses Louis back.

There's a bang from downstairs and they jump apart, having forgotten that there were still people downstairs cleaning up. Louis laugh, because it's not like they're going to get caught but it suddenly feels weird to be making out in the bakery and he just wants to get Harry back to the privacy of their flat where they can actually be alone.

"Movie and a Chinese?" he asks Harry as they stand side by side to put on their jacket, arms brushing like they can't be apart for a second.

"Can I pick the movie?"

"Nice try, Styles, but don't think you're suddenly going to get your own way just because you're a bit good at kissing."

Harry laughs, loud and happy and slaps Louis' arse as he follows him out of the door, and Louis thinks Harry might just like him after all.

*****

"It's been so great having you here, Louis."

It's Louis' very last day at the bakery, and the whole crew is gathered in the decorating room. They've made him a cake, a big vanilla sponge decorated with a version of his college and a Carlo's bakery with little figures of everyone stood waving him off. but it's more a 'good luck' cake than a 'goodbye' one and it had taken him by surprise when Niall had lead him upstairs and everyone had cheered for him. He's a bit embarrassed, if he's honest, because he doesn't feel like he deserves this, everybody smiling at him and Buddy making a speech about how great he is when really he's just been a little bit of a shit the whole time.  
Still, it's nice to feel wanted, and he finally does, especially with Harry pressed warm against his back, arms around his waist. Things are good, so fucking good, with him and Harry, and Liam and Zayn, and the four of them and Niall have sort of become a package deal since Louis and Harry got together, the five of them always hanging out and creating chaos.

"You might not be the greatest baker in the world-"

"You're telling me!" Joey calls out and everybody laughs. Harry squeezes Louis tight as he chuckles.

"-but you're such a ball of energy, and you keep everyone's spirits up and have a laugh and despite causing a lot of trouble, you get on so well with everybody," Buddy says.

Louis can feel his face burning up but he smiles at Buddy. "Cheers, Bud."

"So we thought we'd make you a cake to say good luck with school, and you are more than welcome here any time you like."

Louis knows that this isn't really his last day at the bakery; he had sat down with Buddy a week ago and asked him if Louis could possibly come and work here again at some point in the future. Buddy had been surprised, because he thought Louis wasn't that into working in the bakery but had told Louis that there would always be a job for him here, during the winter and summer breaks from college, and even that Joey has said he'd be happy to train Louis up a bit, teach him new recipes so he could take on more responsibilities. And Louis knows that with Harry working here every day there's no way he'd be able to keep away for long.  
Buddy gestures to Niall and Liam and Zayn, and then to Harry. "I know you've made a lot of new friends while you've been here, but seriously, Lou, you're definitely a part of the Carlo's _familigia_ now."

Louis hates himself for it, but he feels a bit choked up with emotion because this was only supposed to be a stupid summer job and now he has all these amazing friends, and a new family, and Harry. Gorgeous, lovely Harry who has wriggled his way into every corner of Louis' life but fits there so perfectly, who drinks all the apple juice out of his fridge, and steals all of the covers in bed and leaves headscarves lying around everywhere around the flat. There's a figure on Louis' cake, stood halfway between the bakery and Louis' college, that Harry had obviously made of himself because it has a tiny white flower perched on its curls. He turns his head to press a kiss to the crook if Harry's elbow and Harry nuzzles his nose into Louis' neck.

"Speech!" Niall hollers from where he's perched on a desk at the end of the room and Anthony and Maurizio start yelling along with him and pounding on the table.

"Alright, alright," Buddy says, exasperated with their behaviour like he usually is when they start behaving like out of control frat boys. "Louis, you want to say anything?"  
Louis looks around the room, at Frankie and Danny and Mauro smiling happily, at all of Buddy's sisters and Joey who actually looks kind of proud of him, and then at Liam and Zayn holding hands and Niall grinning at him with a mouthful of brownie and finally up at Harry, who's looking at him with so much love in his eyes and Louis thinks maybe this job wasn't such a huge waste of time after all.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing to say, isn't there?"

His face splits into a huge smile, and he spreads his arms out wide.

"Who wants to eat some cake?!"

_Fin_


End file.
